Soli Pinot Noir, Edoardo Miroglio, Thracian Valley, Bulgaria 2015

Edoardo Miroglio thought that Bulgarian terroirs should be explored more with regards to quality winemaking, so he set off on a two-year-long quest to uncover land that would allow him to produce complex Pinot Noir.

Edoardo, who was originally a textile manufacturer in his native Italy, settled on the micro-region of Elonovo, in the Eastern Thracian Valley, that was found to possess many similar soil and climatic characteristics to Burgundy.

Now his team, under the leadership of winemaker Dessislava Baichevaa and viticulturist Alberto La Rosa, make a number of elegant Pinot Noir cuvees that age well.

Alberto previously worked at many prestigious Barolo estates, and as a result, there is a strong Italian influence in his wines.

Of particular interest to Alberto is the indigenous Bulgarian grape varietal Mavrud, which he has found is likely to be a predecessor of Nebbiolo. Over the last few years he has been experimenting with a variety of Mavrud clones, and now produces some simply stunning wines with this little known grape.